By Joan Koehne
As you might image, TEC (Together Encountering Christ) Catholic retreats are filled with different prayer experiences, including the Holy Mass. The most powerful prayer experience for me was the laying on of hands. As Catholics, we receive this blessing at Confirmation, Ordination, in the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick, at retreats like TEC 284, and at other moments. As I knelt in the chapel with my small group at TEC 284, other retreatants circled around us and rested their hands on our shoulders. The deacon, priest, and TEC 284 leaders bestowed a blessing on us. This blessing gave me such a sense of peace and strength. All I could think was, “I wish everyone could experience this!” Afterwards, our Spiritual Director told us that he could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. I could feel that presence, too. What a powerful, prayerful weekend it was.
Praying A Novena in 9 Days
For TEC 284, we added a new form of prayer to our tradition: a Novena. If you’re not familiar with this type of Catholic prayer, allow me to explain. A Novena is a nine-day period of prayer. When we pray a Novena, we ask God for something special over the course of nine days. For the TEC 284 Novena, team members wrote prayers and reflections asking God to bless our retreat with the light of God’s guidance and love.
Every TEC 284 Novena included this petition: “May (the TEC retreat) be a time of spiritual renewal, healing, and transformation. As we journey together, may we grow in unity and love, supporting one another in faith and in truth.”
Never Underestimate the Power of Prayer
Each Novena prayer described the life of a Catholic saint and invoked the saint’s intercession. The Novena provided an opportunity to learn about a new saint or deepen our understanding of a familiar saint. From our homes around the Green Bay Catholic Diocese, the TEC community prayed a common prayer, unifying us and strengthening us in the days leading up to the retreat. Never underestimate the power of prayer!
20 Young Adults Join the TEC Community
We welcomed 20 young adults into the TEC community on Feb. 21-23, 2025. Ss. Peter and Paul of Weyauwega sent its Confirmation class and its Faith Formation Coordinator, too. One foreign exchange student from Poland attended, along with young adults from Door County, the Fox Cities, Greater Green Bay and Fond du Lac. It was a nice mix. We enjoyed getting to know one another and getting to know God better, too.
Cursillo Community Sends Volunteers
In addition to the TEC community volunteers, we welcomed four members of the Cursillo community as volunteers. Cursillo (pronounced kur-see-yo) is Spanish for little or short course. Individuals who make a Cursillo learn to live their faith based on three pillars: piety, study, and action. These volunteers brought new ideas, activities, wisdom, and prayerfulness to the TEC community. We were blessed to have them.
Join us for TEC 285 in November
The weekend was busy, with games, reflections, activities, music, Sacraments and prayer. I’ll remember TEC 284 in a special way because I celebrated my birthday during the retreat. I couldn’t have chosen a better place and a better group of people to celebrate with. Consider joining us for TEC 285, Nov. 14-16 at St. Joseph Parish, Green Bay. Come pray with us, and experience God working in your life.
